Two former LPs are completely reissued on this single CD. The first set,
Have You Ever Seen the Rain, was recorded in 1975 shortly after tenor saxophonist
Stanley Turrentine left the CTI label, and it is a rather commercial effort despite a couple appearances by trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard.
Mr. T. plays well, as always, but the arrangements by
Gene Page for an expanded rhythm section, strings, and voices are quite forgettable and
Turrentine is unable to uplift the music much. The second album, 1980's
Use the Stairs, has
Turrentine with a big band arranged by
Wade Marcus, and is more jazz-oriented, with the highlights including "The Lamp Is Low," "On a Misty Night," and "Jordu." But one should acquire
Stanley Turrentine's earlier Blue Note and CTI recordings first, for those let him cut loose much more than most of his Fantasy albums.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi